Encouraging Words for the Menopause and Midlife Roller Coaster

Tag Archives: Estroven

Estroven is offering one Friend for the Ride reader their summer giveaway!

They wrote to us:

Menopause is already a tumultuous time for nearly half of women in the United States, and between hot flashes and night sweats, it can seem like an uphill battle to beat the heat: especially in the summer.

As the temperature rises, so do the number of beach days, and for these women, a trip to the beach could feel like a trip to the sauna.

This season, Estroven®, the safe multi-symptom menopause relief supplement, is helping women ditch the discomfort associated with menopause so they can feel good about bathing suit season, with “Beat the Heat with Estroven” Summer Survival Kits.

For me, BlogHer ’12 went out with a BOOM, and I was even able to give my regards to Broadway.

Daughter Laura admonished me that I needed cuter flats. I found this pair a few weeks ago at Nordstroms Rack. I had them on and was doing conference things, when a woman said, “I love your shoes.” As a not-great-shoe person, I felt triumphant. My shoes were stars for one sparkling moment.

I marched in said shoes fifteen happy blocks to the B(L)oomers Party, sponsored by BoomBox Network, with help from The Succulent Wife.

Beauty product demonstrations took place in the loft. Some of you may remember the Epilady of our youth. Ouch! This is the improved, gentler version.

Loved my festive favor bag! I even found a button for my collection, created by Not Done Yet, “a hip, new lifestyle brand dedicated to inspiring people to feel ageless at any age!”

The BlogHer conference is teeming with smart, energetic, innovative young women. If one is age conscious (which I admit I am, some) the atmosphere can be somewhat intimidating.

Joy! I walked into the BoomBox party to a room of smart, energetic, innovative women closer to my age.

When I announce I’m a menopause blogger, I almost always get a smile or an, “Ah yes. Menopause.” I invited the women I met at the party to write guests posts for Friend for the Ride. Crossing my fingers they will.

And speaking of youth, Laura from Storymix Media did video interviews with the guests. After she interviewed me, we chatted about Storymix Media.

When Laura discovered I’m mom to Kath of Katheats she tweeted that this was her most starstruck moment at BlogHer. She’s been following Kath for years. Ah thanks, Laura. I’m starstruck by Kath too, but after all, I’m her mother.

My glittery shoes took me home by way of the starry lights of Broadway. What a New York night!

Thanks too Chris Bradshaw of BoomBox and Audrey Petegem and everyone else for the lovely party.

This is a Hot Wheels track that sticks to the wall. Looks like red hot fun to me.

At the Hot Wheels suite at BlogHer, you can pose as a hot model and get your picture taken. I don’t think I look hot. I think I look like a grandma, but a grandma who’s all set to play with Hot Wheels:

At lunch today, I met Josee, who has a hot future as a blogger. Right now, she’s pretty happy playing with her Hot Wheels:

I heard Katie Couric speak about her upcoming hot new TV show. She’ll be covering a range of topics especially interesting to women, including MENOPAUSE. The banquet room where she spoke is huge, and I was so far from Katie that she looked even tinier than she does in real life.

So I watched a screen in the lobby, and I liked what I heard about the upcoming show.

Things were so hot in the Hershey’s suite that you could make a real s’more. Cliff, this is my kind of camping!

And one of the hotest topics of conversation at BlogHer is the Pfizer booth with its motto: GET OLD.

I took this photo yesterday, thinking I could use it in one way or another for an upcoming blog post. Did some musing about the motto last night.

Today, at a session for midlife bloggers, I listened to women who are furious because they feel the motto is ageist. Others said, “No. It shows a positive spin on getting old.” Some thought the phrase should be “Grow old” or “Grow older.”

Our goal of course, is to live long lives. To suggest that talk of being “old” is ageist, seems odd to me.

Old isn’t bad. Sure, the thought of old makes me sad, sometimes, but to be “old” and to be called “old” should not be considered a negative. That’s what we boomers are fighting to change. Shying away from the word “old,” especially when used with positive intentions, seems counter-intuitive.

Opinions, oh hot and wonderful readers? Do you think Pfizer is off base or do you like the motto?

My favorite part of BlogHer is the exhibits. Companies show off their stuff, especially what’s new and groovy. Since most of the attendees are women, there’s a focus on all things womansy, from nail care and makeup to high tech to baby stuff to nutrition and health to fashion to household products.

I was pleased to pick up a novel by Marybeth Whalen in the Zondervan booth. The book’s cover tells me the story begins with a guest book in a Carolina beach house. I love to study the guest books left in beach and mountain rentals and country inns. Should be a fun read!

I’m a button collector, so I was pleased to find some new gems for my button box:

Now that I’m going to be a grandma, baby stuff has popped back into my world. Hooray!

I picked up this all natural teething gel in case Baby Yet To Know His Name Younger-Monson needs it in about six months. (Is that when they get teeth? Funny what you forget.)

And maybe in a year or so, I can bring him presents in this shiny orange Lorax bag.

But what really caught my eye was this display:

Hologic, a woman’s health company, offers NovaSure Endometrial Ablation (EA). This procedure is designed for women who suffer from “heavy periods due to benign causes who are finished childbearing.”

This condition plagues many perimenopausal women and can keep a girl housebound. I spoke with the representative about a guest post for Friend for the Ride that explains the procedure. One promised!

Hologic also offers 3D mammography, and I hope to have them do a post on this new type of mammogram, too.

And I sure do like the t-shirt they gave me. That’s about the color I’d like my mother of the bride dress to be. I wonder what Laura would do if I wore it to the wedding? Maybe I could have a skirt stitched on. After all, weddings are a really girl thing!

I’m back to the conference hotel for a comedy show put on by Poise. They’re introducing a line of menopause products. (That guest post and giveway are already in the works.)

I’ll let you know just how funny menopause sounds at the Hilton in the Big Apple tonight. After the show, I’m headed back down to Time Square to marvel at the people and the lights.

Thanks again to Estroven for sending me and to all of you for your good wishes!